This lesson provides a way for students to determine the relationship between the distance from a light source and its brightness. Once students discover the relationship, they can begin to understand how astronomers use this knowledge to determine...(View More) the distances to stars and far away galaxies.(View Less)

This is a hands-on lab activity about the properties and states of water. Learners will complete activities using different liquids to understand the three states of matter, explain how the high heat capacity and abundance of liquid water makes life...(View More) on Earth possible, and understand that water containing salts and minerals has different properties than fresh water. They will graph data to analyze and articulate results and conclusions. The lab is set up as three stations that small groups of students rotate through; it can also be done as demonstrations (e.g., for younger students). Background information, common preconceptions, a glossary and more is included. This activity is part of the Aquarius Hands-on Laboratory Activities.(View Less)

Students will collect samples of particles in the air on simple slides they make themselves. They will classify, count and chart their findings, draw conclusions, make predictions, and compare their findings to other available data. Supplies needed...(View More) for the investigation include microscope slides, petroleum jelly, magnifying glass, microscope, Eosin, and Methyln Blue or iodine. The activity is part of the Ground Truth Studies Teacher Handbook, which provides more than 20 activities to build student understanding of global change and remote sensing, and includes background chapters for teachers, glossary, and appendices.(View Less)